Now that it's mid-March, winter should be coming to a close, though for many of us, spring is but a mere dream we hang onto. But whether or not it feels warmer where you are, one thing is certain: Bathing suit season will be here before you know it, and the time to start shaping up is now.

Problem is, research shows that we crave carbs when it's chilly out, which means that we need to get a handle on our cravings first. Here are a few tips:

• Purge your pantry. Get rid of sugar and unhealthy carbs like white rice and pasta. Stock the fridge with fresh veggies and healthy things like hummus. Believe me, you'll snack on the healthy stuff when you don't have a choice.
  
• Find filling alternatives. Nuts, for instance, are a great source of energy and -- in small doses -- are waistline-friendly.
  
• Give in ... wisely. If you can't live without your morning toast, don't beat yourself up -- just have whole wheat bread and make sure you only stick to one slice.

Got any tips of your own?

Unless you're training for a marathon or an Ironman competition, that advice is precisely the wrong thing for the average exerciser, especially those looking to lose weight. Consider this: In a recent study, volunteers were given a high-carb mini-meal immediately after exercising on a treadmill for an hour. The results: The ability to clear sugar from the bloodstream was completely wiped out. A separate study tested high-carb mini-meals against low-carb ones and found the low-carb meal did the least damage.

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Duran Duran ruled the 80's. In fact, they still kind of rule. Selling out arenas around the world isn't too shabby in anyone's book.

Even though he's still performing with his legendary band, John Taylor has reformed from his very typical rock star ways of the past, and is now a genuine fitness fiend. We spoke today, and I was delighted to hear about his new lifestyle. John told me that he gave up drinking and drugs years ago and pays a lot of attention to his health. He actually said he considers himself a runner! So cute, he called himself the "slackest runner in the world" but knows he needs that outlet because of the mental relief it provides. To quote John, he says it "suits my psychology."

When we see rock stars living the party life, it's easy to wonder what effects it will have on their futures. Some simply don't survive the lifestyle. But John did, and it's wonderful to see the man so many people adore as he lives a truly healthy life. He does struggle a bit with something, though.

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Going low carb is a fast and effective way to shed some of those extra pounds, but is it safe? The jury's still out on that one, especially considering the recent publicity this kind of diet is getting. Apparently, cutting out carbs can cause memory loss.

The explanation is pretty simple: Your brain needs a constant supply of glucose, and glucose can't be stored. According to Professor Holly Taylor of Tufts University, "The brain needs glucose for energy and diets low in carbohydrates can be detrimental to learning, memory and thinking."

Staying away from carbs? You might want to reconsider. That's not to say you should binge on white bread -- a few servings of healthy whole grains per day is all you really need. So go on, eat a piece of bread and don't feel guilty about it.

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My son has taken a recent interest in my workout DVDs. Usually we do them together, but the other night I was working while he was exercising. I heard him pause the DVD and I thought he went to get a drink of water. Instead, I looked over and saw him eating pudding while working out. I had to laugh. While it was incredibly counterproductive, I'll admit that I was a little impressed with his coordination!

Obviously snacking while working out doesn't make much sense, but research now says that a snack after working out doesn't do much good either (unless you're an elite athlete). During a recent study, participants walked on a treadmill for an hour (burning an average of 500 calories). Half of the group was given a high-calorie carbohydrate drink immediately after exercise; the other half had nothing. Those who had nothing had a 40% increase in insulin efficiency post-exercise. The benefit was completely wiped out in those who had the high-carb drink. Researchers saw similar results in a follow-up test using high and low-carb foods instead of drinks.

Your best bet after exercising is to just have a glass of water. Unless you've just participated in really intense, prolonged exercise, there's no need for sports drinks. And hold off on snacks unless you're feeling really hungry or weak.

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Resistant starch is found in foods such as potatoes, rice, corn, and bananas. It's the key behind trendy, new diets like the Morning Banana Diet. It's said to resist digestion while filling you up and reducing your hunger.

To be effective for weight loss, most foods that contain resistant starch need to be cooked then cooled. For example, beans, barley, corn, potatoes, and brown rice need to be cooked and then cooled for the resistant starch to form. Reheating destroys the resistant starch. The one exception is bananas which should be eaten raw.

Vital Juice Daily has two recipes that are high in resistant starch:

• Herbed Potato Salad
• Smoked Turkey, Black Bean, Bell Pepper, and Corn Salad

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The Atkins Diet took the world by storm a few years ago -- and created a lot of controversy over health concerns. I can't say I disagree -- an eating plan that allows you to eat bacon and butter but outlaws even half a slice of whole wheat bread just seems wrong no matter how much weight you lose if you ask me.

According to the Daily Mail, the Atkins diet is back with a bang, and bread is no longer your worst enemy. Actually, the new plan looks a lot like the South Beach Diet, in that carbs are banned for two weeks, after which you can slowly integrate them back into your life. Another key change? Exercise is now recommended, especially if you're planning on eating carbs.

What do you think of the Atkins Diet? Does it work? More importantly, is it doable?

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Cutting fat - let's just get right to it. Exercise? Of course. Proper diet? Absolutely. The former is pretty straightforward; move around, burn some calories - that sort of thing. The latter, however, can sometimes involve a bit more complexity.

To effectively burn fat, your dietary changes must not interfere with your fitness progress or quest for overall health. As such, a massive calorie-cutting diet isn't really the answer. Instead, try these vie fat-torching tips on from size.

1 - Cut Calories by a Reasonable Percentage. Again, this does not mean starving yourself; rather, it means taking an honest look at your daily caloric intake and calculating a percentage (be it 10, 20, or even 30 percent) you can cut it by.

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A recent Japanese study, published in the Kobe Journal Medical Sciences and most recently highlighted in Fitness Rx magazine, confirms what we've known for quite some time: eating foods high in simple, fast-digesting carbs can cause you to pack on more fat. The difference this time around, however, is that this study provides an additional explanation for why this happens.

When you drink copious amounts of regular soda and chomp on white bread, you spike your blood glucose levels (also known as blood sugar). You may be familiar with this concept from your own knowledge base or from hearing of this process from someone who has diabetes. In response, your body produces a large amount of insulin in efforts to bring your blood glucose back down from orbit by moving the glucose out of the blood and into the cells (whereas a person with diabetes may have to use synthetic insulin -- administered either by shot or pump -- to make up for what their pancreas is not able to sufficiently do on its own in this regard). After this occurs, all excess glucose is stored for later use as fat in white adipose tissue.

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Do newer, faddish diets take some basic nutritional science to prove their collective points about why they are the best 'new' diet? Well, diet plans and authors have been doing that for decades, and what's to stop newer diets from doing the same thing?

The Atkin's Diet, South Beach Diet, Ornish Diet and others appear to some to use selective nutrition facts to promote themselves. Well, that's marketing. Any diet comes down to balance -- with carbs, fat, meat, veggies, grains, sugar and everything else.

If you look at it, a diet is something that needs to be personable to your metabolism and (in the future) genetic makeup. But for now, these "one size fits all" are the best the market has to offer. I personally can't wait for the future of nutrition, but we're just not there yet.

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Low-carb dieting is one of the most popular forms of weight-loss out there, and it works! But is it healthy? Fitsugar recently asked that same question and they came up with the precautions for low-carb wannabes:

• Low-carb diets can be damaging to the health of women who are pregnant, as well as those with diabetes, kidney stones or high cholesterol.
• People following a low-carb plan might be missing important nutrients. Take a multivitamin and possibly fiber supplements if you're going to cut out carbs
• High amounts of protein can be damaging to the liver. Be sure to drink lots of water
• Remember to consult your doctor before going on any diet.
  

What do you think about low-carb diets? I think it can be healthy, but I'm not sure that I could follow one on the long term -- I'm too much of a pasta-and-bread fiend.

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The carb and protein supplement industry is a big one for fitness buffs and beginners alike, and although recent research confirms that they do benefit athletes it may not be in exactly the ways we all expect. If you drink carb and protein supplements before or during your workout hoping for a boost in athletic performance you're probably not going to get it. Research shows that the supplements seem to have no affect on how well athletes work out, but instead helps how they feel after they're finished working out. In a new study the supplements appeared to reduce muscle damage from intense resistance training sessions, therefore allowing the athletes to feel better and workout intensely again sooner.

Who knows, maybe you already knew this? It makes sense, although I think supplements might help some people with actual performance if they use them for a pre-workout energy and calorie boost.

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A new study based on a national survey that was conducted from 1999 to 2004 is being released and is bringing to light an alarming fact: folate levels in women are dropping. The essential B vitamin (which also includes folic acid) is one that doctors have been encouraging women who may get pregnant consume.

Fortified breads, like the ones found in cereals, contain folic acid which prevent birth defects. During the 1990s the government began fortification campaigns to encourage young women to get more folate in their diet. It started to work, but the first decline in women's levels is now occurring.

The birth defects that come from this deficiency are known as neural tube defects. In other words, it has to do with the spine and brain. Now, doctors aren't concluding that fad diets which try to avoid carbohydrates are causing this, but the Food and Drug Administration started requiring breads be fortified about 10 years ago. So if women are avoiding breads and enriched flour which have been backed by folic acid, then they might not be getting enough folate in their system.

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We've all had those times when we've spent weeks eating incredibly healthy food, but then must attend a dinner function of other gathering where plenty of high-carb foods and drinks will be served. And, of course, we're expected to participate in the frivolities. It's my contention that social pressure alone is the reason for failure in many people's attempts to transform nutrition habits from fast food and processed foods into healthy and nutritious lifestyles that feature plenty of vegetables, grains, nuts and fruits.

But, what if there was a way to naturally block excess carbohydrates from ever being absorbed into the body and ultimately stored as fat. Note that I said "naturally", as there are plenty of non-natural and/or modified supplements that claim to "block carbs" -- and I've had hit or miss success with some of these.

One naturally-derived carb blocker supplement that I have used to great success before -- and still use today when social situations call for it -- is the C-120x carb blocker sold by Swanson Vitamins. The product claims to block up to 75 carb grams per serving, and I have little reason to not believe this. After a few nights of large pasta functions on a recent business trip, not a single pound was gained when I used the C-120x product with my meals. It's a supplement made from the white kidney bean -- go researching this and you'll see and probably discover why it worked -- for me, at least.

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